Cristiano Ronaldo eyes a return against Al-Wehda 

Cristiano Ronaldo sent a message via social media that he was training hard for a return to action against Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League. The Al Nassr superstar was one of several big names left out of Stefano Pioli’s matchday squad when the yellow submarines faced Al Hazem in the round of 32 stage of the King’s Cup. His exclusion from the match was a deliberate move by Pioli, who wanted to give his most valuable asset much-needed rest ahead of key fixtures after he headlined Al Nassr’s 3-0 victory over Al-Ettifaq in the league the previous week. 

Despite without the services of the veteran forward, Al Nassr registered a thrilling 2-1 win over Al Hazem. Sadio Mane opened the scoring for the visitors during first-half stoppage time, but it was Nawaf Boushal who scored the second and decisive goal, ensuring his team’s progression to the next round. 
 
In the lead-up to his return to the field, Ronaldo took to social media to share an inspirational message with his fans. He posted a series of training pictures and captioned it "Working Hard"

Al-Nassr seeks to continue its impressive run across all competitions, Ronaldo's return is well-timed. After taking on Al Wehda in the League on Friday, they will face Qatari side Al-Rayyan in a key AFC Champions League clash on Monday. Having already found the back of the net on five occasions in six appearances this season, the record-goal scorer will be keen to add a few more goals to his tally and help his team do well in these high-octane fixtures.